An Eternal Summer
by EbonyCat
Summary: We follow the lives of our favourite four mages in Summersea as they meet new people and find new adventures. This have been Valimai and her brother Lyn's idea when they arrived in Summersea themselves. Unfortunately, things do not always got to plan.B/OC
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not claim anything created by Tamora Peirce.**

**Ok so i haven't been writing for a long time and am really rusty. I hope you enjoy reading this.**

**~*~**

They had been living at Number 6 Cheeseman Street for a few years now, all four of them. It wasn't easy all the time. More than a couple of times, tempers had risen high and it seemed as if things would never get better, but at their core they were all unavoidably connected and would turn to each other again, to their house at Number 6 Cheeseman Street. 

In the summer everything about them came alive. The flowers were in bloom painting the outside of the house with colour and a cool evening breeze alleviated the stifling hot of the preceding day.

Sandry sat in her airy workshop mending clothes and adding new spells for protection and cleanliness. Daja sweated over her forge, working with her coppery living metal that grew off her arm and in his own workshop Briar looked up from his parchment as Tris entered the room.

'Good evening Copper curls.' He said putting down his quill with a flourish, 'To what purpose do I owe for your noble presence?'

Tris pursed her lips, briefly wondering if Briar could do anything without some sort of flamboyant sarcasm 'Just came to get some herbs off you, I'm running low in some of my stores and need to put them up now while they're still in season. I would get them myself but you get grouchy if someone even touches your plants without permission, let alone cutting bits of them off'

Briar raised an eyebrow 'Well your not exactly inviting me to play with all those sparkly little lightning locks'

'That's because if I let you play with my 'sparkly little lightning locks', as you call them, you would blow us all up' she said matter-of-factly.

'Which is why I don't play with them' Briar grinned back, matter-of-factly 'But that aside, let me just grab some clippers and we'll be on our way then. What delicious feast are you cooking for me tonight with my wondrous herbs?'

Tris paused thinking 'Roast lamb with rosemary and onion. Maybe some stuffed grilled tomatoes if your lucky.'

'Mouth-watering' Briar said and opened a door out into his garden.

On this particular summer evening, it seemed things at Number 6 Cheeseman Street had never been more serene.

However on this very same evening, not to far from Cheeseman Street, the world was not so serene.

At the end of an alleyway a tall and incredibly handsome man was backed into a corner as three large and slightly inebriated men closed in around him.

This tall handsome man was Lyn. Lyn couldn't understand how he had gotten into this situation, or what the men even wanted, but he knew he was in trouble; the dangerous kind. He silently wished Mai was here to help, she at least could speak this country's language, and perhaps sort out this whole situation. Then again he wouldn't want his pretty little sister near any of these hard looking men.

The man to his left who was dark and skinny with a shining pink scar on his chin made a comment to the man in the middle and all three started laughing. The man in the middle, who was medium height with dark hair and a big nose, was obviously in charge and started talking to Lyn.

Lyn couldn't tell what he was saying or asking and was just shaking his head to everything that was said when the middle man put out a big sausage finger and poked him hard in the chest, jabbing him backwards until he was up against the wall.

'No! I haven't done anything!' he yelled out as they advanced. But they didn't understand a word and simply proceeded to advance.

The biggest one on the right made his move, lunging forward with his fist. Lyn ducked and heard the crash of flesh making contact with hard wall followed by what was probably a curse. A gap was made as Man On The Right had moved forward to attack. Lyn saw this as his chance and he threw himself through the space, past the other two men, running at full speed.

He didn't know where he was going in this unfamiliar city, in an unfamiliar country (whose language he didn't know) but one thing was certain. If there was any hope he would be able to avoid any more catastrophes like those, he was going to need to find Mai. The real question is, where?

So as Lyn ran (unpursued by his assailants who at this point discover they are slightly too inebriated to run after him without falling flat on their faces) on into the night, in a place not to far from Cheeseman Street, the world was far from serene.

We come to a decrepit warehouse on the edges of the slums where captured slaves sit waiting for auction. They come from all walks of life and all different backgrounds though they all have one thing in common; none of them want to be slaves. In this unfortunate flock we find a girl. She is not particularly pretty but there is something striking about her, and she appears to be about 17. Her name is Valimai.

Valimai had not lived an enchanted life. She had not even lived an easy life. In fact Valimai had lived a life harder than most, which is why when she had arrived in the slums of Summersea, she had felt a strange familiarity with the gaunt, starved look of the occupant. It was a look she knew from the faces of the people in her village, her friends, her family and a look that had been carved into her own face.

Maybe that attachment and ensuing intimacy is why she let her guard down and was why she was in this awful muddle right now. Muddle. That hardly began to describe her predicament. But sitting under the stars on this particular evening, with sleeping bodies jammed in close all around her, Valimai decided it was time for a trip down memory lane, to once again brood over the cause of her distress.

I guess you could pinpoint the actual cause as the kidnapping and being made into a slave. However the one whose fault it was for the kidnapping and being made into a slave, well that was all Albert.

Albert was perfect for his job. He was charming, handsome, desperate for money and above all he was a stunning liar.

Thinking about it Mai (that was what everyone had always called her) realised that anyone with those kind of credentials could do almost anything. But it just so happened that Albert had chosen slave trade.

Mai sighed deeply as she thought about him. How could she have been so foolish? It wasn't like this sort of thing never happened. She had heard about plenty of people being snatched and knew several from her own hometown who had been taken by raiders. She never usually accepted drinks from strange men to avoid just this, but Albert was just so…charming. Mai felt the girl next to her shift in her sleep, reminding her of where she was. _Charming_ she thought _Bloody fucking charming_.

There had to be some way to get out of this.

But Mai wasn't stupid (though she could be foolish) so she knew there was no way out of this muddle. Not alone at least.

**~*~**

**OK so tell me what you think. Continue? Discontinue? Do i suck at writing?**


	2. Chapter 2

So heres the next chapter. I think i really enjoy writing this one and it sort of just flows which is good coz normally i have a hard time. So yeah enjoy.

The next day the sun rose hot and high over Summersea, with the promise of another burning summer day. For many, this was simply another lovely summer day to be spent lazing around or tending the garden, for others it meant a day exposed in an unshaded slave warehouse and for one dazed tourist it would mean nothing, as he sleeps off last nights terrifying run from drunken thugs in a rented room with the shutters closed.

Duke Vedris sat at his desk, leaning back to take a rest from the many important documents crowding his desk. He looked out the window onto the harbour. The water shimmered and sparkled, reflecting the sunshine out in million directions; it was beautiful.

He sighed again, disappointed to be spending another wonderful day in his study, tending to state affairs. But his work was of the utmost importance. Slave trade was not something that was condoned in a place like Summersea. It wasn't even legal and right now it was causing a huge pain in his backside. They knew that people were being taken. They knew that people were being sold. What they didn't know is by who or where? People would be living their lives, right as rain, then just disappear for years on end, to be found later and have their appalling stories told. He needed to fix this soon otherwise many more innocent victims would be taken and his people would get impatient when it seemed like nothing was being done.

The duke sighed again.

'Steward!' he called out. Moments later a man appeared at the door dressed in servants uniform.

'Your Grace?' He asked

The Duke eased a crick in his neck 'Yes would you please get me some water and see if Sergeant Ferrah is available?'

The man bobbed his head 'Yes your Grace, right away'

'Thankyou' Vedris said as the man left the room. He briefly glanced back out the window then leaned forward to continue his work.

An hour or so later the same servant led a rough looking man to Duke Vedris' study.

He was of medium-tall height with a solid build and looked very tired. There were dark circles under his eyes and his chin was rough from its coating of brown stubble, however his gaze was keen and steady as he greeted the duke.

'Duke Vedris, you asked for me?' he said once the formalities were aside.

'Yes' Vedris replied 'Yes I did, please won't you sit down' he motioned to some upholstered chairs, arranged in front of the unlit fireplace and beckoned the steward over 'some refreshments please, see if Daisy has made some of her lovely pastries today.' then moved forward to sit in the chair across from Ferrah.

'Sergeant Ferrah' he began 'how are things going with the slave traders? Have you found anything?'

'Oh the slave traders? Things are excellent your Grace. We have located the holding place and will be capturing the traffickers at the auction today, if all goes to plan. I sent a report just yesterday with the news.' He added after seeing the shocked look on Vedris' face.

'Oh, I had no idea. I must not have gotten the report.' The duke heaved a huge sigh of relief 'This case has been causing me hell. But how did you solve it so fast? I thought all we had were dead ends.'

At this point the steward arrived with the tea and pastries then set them down in front of the men, before pouring them each a cup of tea.

The sergeant took a large sip of tea and began 'Well we got a birdy to sing, so to speak. This one decided he wasn't getting enough out of his partners, wanted to get a bit of revenge and tear the whole thing down.' He took another sip 'Told us everything. The auction itself is to take place at two'o'clock this very afternoon'

Duke Vedris looked outside his window. It was only one'o'clock.

Maybe he would have time to go out to enjoy the sun and get some work done at the same time.

As the Duke contemplated his freedom from the endless piles of work on his desk, Valimai contemplated her freedom from slavery; more the fact that she didn't have it.

She felt the sun burning into the back of her neck. She knew that there would be a tan line from her collar, where the sun hadn't touched._ Good_, she thought_ it will remind me not to be foolish._

There was murmuring all around her so she looked up to see what the fuss was. At the front of the warehouse was Albert, standing on top of a wooden crate.

'A'right you lot' he yelled out 'shut the bleedin' ell up'

The crowds hushed, obviously afraid of this man who was in charge of their fate. He scanned the crowds with a scowl on his face 'Today' he yelled 'were sellin ye off' he smiled cruelly 'I'll be eatin well tonight no doubt, but as for you lot! Good luck to yez' with that he walked away.

Mai was appalled with herself. How in the world had she ever thought he was charming?! But even if he had all the eloquence of a pair of old boots, his news had a lot of gravity.

They would be sold off today which meant Mai would never have a chance to escape or be able to find her brother.

Around her people were weeping. Some silently into a coat sleeve whilst others sobbed urgently and were consoled by the stronger among them who simply had grim faces. Mai decided to be one of the silent ones and buried her face into her knees so no one would see her tears.

Maybe an hour or two later the doors to the warehouse opened again. Expecting to see none other than a new master or a smirking Albert, Mai kept her face in her knees. _They could come get her if they wanted her so badly_.

She ignored all the cries from the people around her, but eventually she felt that there was more space. _The people were being taken to be sold _she told herself _Keep your head down or your next._

A hand was on her arm shaking her. 'No' she yelled yanking away. She went to look her attacker in the eyes but all she saw was a uniform. A uniform? Looking around Mai noticed that most of the other slaves were gone or talking to more uniformed men and women.

Guardsmen and Guardswomen. They had been rescued! The man leaned down again and said something to her. She shook her head and tried to remember what his words meant. She hadn't really spoken to anyone and their language was hard to remember. He repeated himself 'I'm here to help you. Are you alright?'

A smile broke out over her face and she nodded. The gentleman returned her smile then offered her a hand.

'There you go' he said 'no so bad. We just need to round you guys up for questioning'

She nodded again.

'So if you could just answer a couple of questions for me' he asked 'we can get you home right away'

'Oh' she stopped 'I'm not from Summersea.'

He raised his eyebrows 'Not with that accent your not. Well' he said thinking 'do you have somewhere to stay?'

'No.' She shook her head 'They took all my money when they captured me. It was all I had.'

He sighed 'Ok well I'm going to get on with the questioning and then we'll see if we can't find you a place to stay.'

He grinned slyly 'Worst thing is you stay with me' Mai blushed and looked down. She had always been shy when men flirted with her.

'But we'll worry about that later' he said, noticing her shyness 'how about I just ask you some questions' She nodded still not looking up.

'Ok first up, what is your name?'

'Valimai Keenan'

'And can you tell me who took you here?' He asked writing down her name on a piece of parchment.

'Albert' She replied firmly.

'Albert' he said writing it down carefully 'we seem to be getting a lot of him.' he looked up again 'I'm going to go ask the sergeant what to do with you so just hang tight and wait here, ok?'

Mai nodded again. She looked around to see that even more people had left and she was one of the last who wasn't in uniform. _How long had she sat there with her head in her knees while this had been going on? _She thought to herself.

The Guard who had been talking to her was walking over again beckoning her to come forward 'We have found somewhere for you to stay, so if you'll just come with me…' he walked away and she followed him towards a group of people who looked very important.

'Valimai this is Duke Vedris and sergeant Ferrah. They have found you a place to stay' he said turning to her.

Mai was awestruck. She never thought she would be introduced to the Duke of Summersea! She was a nobody. Slowly she bobbed an awkward curtsey 'Your Grace' He smiled at her and she blushed, before looking at the ground, then thinking this might be disrespectful, she forced her head up again to look at him.

'Unfortunately the citadel is full' he said smiling apologetically 'so I have arranged for you to stay with my niece, Lady Sandriline' Mai nodded again.

'Thankyou your Grace' She bobbed another awkward curtsey.

'Your quite welcome' Came a woman's voice from her left. Mai turned and saw a woman of a medium height with light brown hair,a small plump mouth and wide blue eyes coming towards her.

'I am Lady Sandriline,' she said 'but please call me Sandry. I'm assuming your Valimai?' she paused until Mai nodded then continued 'You will be staying with me and my family.' Mai began to curtsey again when Sandry held up a hand 'Please, no formalities. If your going to be living with us for a while I would rather not bother with all that pomp' Mai nodded again.

The Duke smiled at them 'Well I'm sure that Sandry can show you the way back to her house so if you'll please excuse me' With that he made a quick goodbye then turned to the sergeant and began reading over some documents that had just been handed to him.

Landy Sandry said turning to Mai in a businesslike fashion 'You'll have to excuse me for being a bit insensitive. Im having an unusually busy day today, so lets be on our way. Do you know how to ride?'

They set out for Cheeseman Street in the summer sun with the scent of all the fetid life of the slums baking in the heat, neither of them knowing what lay in store for them now they had met and mixed their two worlds. Any conceivable outcomes of this collision were to many and to varied to anticipate. The future was hazy and filled with uncertainty. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Ok so re-read this and it was better then i thought so i'm continuing. You know feeling inspired. Don't really know where its going... somewhere i guess :)**

Much can happen in a small space of time. Many things occur on parallel timelines, staying contained in their own little worlds. Occasionally two bend and cross, sometimes briefly, some stay intertwined forever. Although he couldn't have known it, at that very moment Lyn's own timeline was beginning to bend and curve.

Lyn woke up the next day to the noises of the city. The inhabitants of the room next door, who appeared to be having an incredibly loud discussion for no apparent reason, had woken him. Well it was that or the walls were incredibly cheap and thin. It was probably the latter he thought to himself as he looked around the room. The entire thing reeked of neglect. There were almost more cracks then there was wall, damp showed in layered stains on every surface and there appeared to be an infestation of every kind. The nostalgia was overwhelming.

Taking slow deliberate steps to avoid the rotting floorboards he walked to the tiny window and opened the shutters. Sunbeams fell into the room further illuminating the dismal scene of rats and cockroaches fleeing from the light.

The city outside his window was poor. The dilapidated house he stood in was mirrored in the buildings across the streets and to either side of him. The road was small with deep rivers of waste in between the cobbles. Barefoot children laughed in the sunshine as they played in the muck.

What would he do now? Lyn thought. How was he going to find Mai? Summersea was a large port city with many trade routes; she could be gone in any direction.

Lets think about this logically, he told himself, where would Mai go? She didn't have much money so she probably couldn't afford to travel. She wouldn't stay in the poorer areas like the one he was in for fear of criminals and such so that ruled out at least some of the city. She hated being near the docks because of the massive rats that roamed the piers; that ruled out another section. Finally, Mai loved being surrounded by people's that also ruled out the outer edges of town. What did that leave? In his mind Lyn mentally shrunk what he knew of the city down into many possible places. The area was still incredibly large, but not unworkable. He sent up a quick prayer to the Gods to grant him luck then began planning his search.

What Lyn could not know was that despite all of his logical thinking and excellent deduction skills, Mai was not in control of her destination. 

At that moment she had been rescued from the clutches of slavery to be made into a guest at the house of four accomplished mages, Briar Moss, Daja Kisubo, Trisana Chandler and Lady Sandriline fa Toren. However when he sent up his muttered wish to the heavens to find his sister someone was listening. Weather or not this was lucky remained to be seen.

Sandry sighed as she stopped again for her new houseguest to catch up. When Sandry had decided to ravel by horseback she had never thought it would make them lose more time rather than save it. Had she not seen it for herself she never would have believed someone could be so hopelessly awful at riding a horse. When she had asked Mai if she knew how to ride the girl had simply nodded before mounting the horse so she ended up facing backwards. That had only been the beginning of her troubles. Along the relatively short ride, reigns had been dropped and tangled, bridles had mysteriously come unclasped and numerous falls had occurred.

But, Sandry relented, if there was one thing you could say about the girl it was that she was determined and never gave up. After she had fallen the first time she had simply brushed herself off then wordlessly remounted (in the correct direction). All of these disturbances meant they had very little time to talk so when the finally turned onto Cheeseman Street a good half hour later, Sandry still knew nothing more about this girl other than her name or that she was not from Summersea.

Suddenly (or should she say predictably?) there was a yelp from behind her and the sound of someone hitting the ground. How had she managed to fall when they were walking? All you needed to do was sit there. She sighed again then turned her horse to go make sure the girl was all right.

A small but steady wind blew through Cheeseman Street that day, carrying with it a burden of sound and vision. A red headed weather witch in turn captured these from her attic window where she spent much of her days watching the world happen.

Tris was standing at the open attic window collecting news from all over the city. She had slightly redirected the winds path so it would go through all the major points of the city and bring her important news. The busting of the slave traders that had been plaguing the coast of Emelan was pretty big news so in almost all the images she saw people were abuzz with news of the who, what, when and where concerning the felony.

Because of this she was able to see her guest in advance. This gave her ample time to check the spare room and make a cup of tea. Muttering lowly to herself she moved down the house and into the spare room. The house was large and contained two extra bedrooms. With the accumulation of friends and acquaintances over the years, the rooms were seldom empty.

As Tris examined the room she wondered how much dust could gather in such a short space of time. She looked into the dressing room which was in the same condition as the room with a few more cobwebs then set off towards the kitchen to begin cooking. She could clean while something cooked.

The house around her was blessedly clean. She had been able to catch up on cleaning lately. The weather had been miserably balmy so any hard work in this heat was unthinkable and she hadn't had much to do except read, tidy up focus on keeping cool.

Looking out of the window she saw Briar laying in the shade of one of his precious trees, reading one of Tris' precious books. She could tell from its distinctive red cover that it was an adventure novel set in the jungle of the south. She smiled, it was one of her favourites.

She couldn't help but note that Briar, for all his vanity, really did cut a fine figure. He was tall and lithe, but still muscled with definite features. The grass around him was reflected in his eyes that shone when he smiled. Yes, Tris thought to herself, he certainly was striking, if nothing else.

Things seem simple, the crisis has been averted, for some at least. Unfortunately what going up must come down and when something can go wrong… something will.

**Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Review if you are so moved/inspired.**


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